The moment the system chime rang in Kuroha's mind, his observation of the two girls stepped into a new layer of detail.
[Mihono Bourbon] (Temporary)
[Track Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt G]
[Distance Aptitude: Short A, Mile B, Medium D, Long F]
[Running Style Aptitude: Front Runner A, Pace Chaser E, Late Surger F, End Closer F]
[Unique Skill: None]
[Domain: None]
[Skills: Rainy Day ○]
[Speed: 52, Stamina: 47, Power: 51, Gut: 68, Wit: 50]
Looking over Mihono Bourbon's exact numbers, Kuroha thought to himself: as expected.
Unlike in the game from his previous life, the Mihono Bourbon standing in front of him in reality was a pure Short / Mile specialist, a front-running escape-type horse girl.
As for Medium and Long distance aptitude, it wasn't that she had none, but that her aptitude there was… not particularly obvious.
Overall, though, her stats weren't bad.
At least among the elementary-division horse girls, she was above average.
Kuroha pondered silently.
If he didn't interfere, and Mihono Bourbon kept charging forward with this kind of obsession…
Then over-doing her True Blooming was practically guaranteed.
She would rely on abnormal growth from over-True Blooming to make up for her lack of distance aptitude.
But in the end, in the 3200 m Kikuka Sho, she would still be dragged down from the throne by a true long-distance prodigy.
Shaking his head, Kuroha opened Rice Shower's status window next.
[Rice Shower] (Temporary)
[Track Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt G]
[Distance Aptitude: Short E, Mile C, Medium A, Long A]
[Running Style Aptitude: Front Runner B, Pace Chaser A, Late Surger C, End Closer G]
[Unique Skill: None]
[Domain: None]
[Skills: None]
[Speed: 40, Stamina: 56, Power: 44, Gut: 65, Wit: 46]
This was the textbook stat sheet of a classic Medium / Long-distance horse girl.
Looking at Rice Shower's stats and aptitudes, Kuroha could almost see another McQueen standing there.
The same Medium / Long distance aptitude, the same Pace Chaser style.
To be honest, if it were some trainer who didn't know the future looking at these two status pages…
They would very likely think Rice Shower had a higher chance of sweeping the Classic Triple Crown than Mihono Bourbon.
"Click."
At the side, as Mihono Bourbon stepped onto the track without the slightest hesitation, Rice Shower hesitated a moment, then also trotted after her, timidly stopping at her friend's side.
"Are you ready?" Kuroha asked from the side.
Mihono Bourbon took a deep breath, stood at attention, and reported in her signature flat tone:
"After appropriate [hydration] and [rest], now [fully equipped] for deployment. [Engaging head-on]. Confirmed: [ready for sortie]!!"
Kuroha was already somewhat used to the way she spoke, so he simply nodded and turned to Rice Shower.
"Ah… mm!" Seeing this, Rice Shower hurriedly nodded hard. "I'm ready too!"
Kuroha chuckled. "Good. Since you're both ready, then…"
He raised his hand.
"On your marks, get set—"
"Go!"
With Kuroha's hand chopping downward, the two little horse girls burst into motion in a very proper imitation of a real start, dashing forward along the track.
"Da-da-da…"
Footsteps rang out.
As expected, Mihono Bourbon showed explosive power right at the start, instantly pulling ahead of Rice Shower.
Over the following stretch, she steadily widened the gap, leaving the other girl behind by several body lengths.
Kuroha watched quietly without saying a word, his brows knitting together.
He had already predicted this scene.
In terms of short-distance talent, Mihono Bourbon outclassed Rice Shower from the start.
On top of that, she had gone through far more grueling, exploitative training programs; in terms of raw physical ability, she also surpassed Rice Shower.
But…
Here comes the mess.
Kuroha thought to himself.
Even just watching from the sidelines, with his current eye for such things, he could tell her running form was practically a disaster.
No matter how much Mihono Bourbon emphasized that she was "training for Medium and Long-distance races"…
Just from her running alone, even if he ignored obvious holes in basic form, breathing rhythm, and so on…
What she was actually doing was simply using short-distance, explosive-type training to force herself to "adapt" to Medium and Long-distance courses.
In other words, in simpler terms:
Extreme Front Runner (Ōnige).
Letting a little horse girl grow up doing Medium and Long-distance training as an Extreme Front Runner from the very start…
…?
Her father really was a "retired" trainer?
Kuroha frowned.
He suddenly thought about Mihono Bourbon's current age.
She was only in the elementary division right now, so her father was probably just past thirty, at most a bit over forty.
At that age… was he really "retired"? And not "fired by the Academy for incompetence"?
Thinking this far, Kuroha shook his head.
In the end, bad-mouthing someone behind their back wasn't very nice.
The two small silhouettes ran around the track.
This track used for the elementary division's P.E. classes wasn't very long, only 800 m.
Soon, Mihono Bourbon was the first to reach and cross the finish line.
A few seconds later, Rice Shower stumbled and hurried across as well, panting heavily.
Kuroha's gaze fell on Rice Shower.
The Rice Shower of this time still didn't have the future strength of the "Black Assassin."
Whether it was in physical ability or technique, she was frankly quite poor; only that stubborn refusal to give up could barely be considered admirable.
But that kind of perseverance was something most horse girls possessed.
In ordinary races, this kind of slightly nonsensical imbalance between Power and Speed wouldn't stand out much.
If she continued "True Blooming" with this posture and approach, then… it would be very hard for any trainer to take a liking to her.
After one lap, both little horse girls were exhausted, bending over with their hands on their knees, gasping for breath.
At this moment, Mihono Bourbon raised her eyes slightly. Those icy blue irises looked toward Kuroha, as if waiting expectantly for something.
"…"
Meeting her gaze, Kuroha paused, gestured toward the track, then slowly opened his mouth.
"Very poor."
His voice was calm and firm. "If you'd only gone through the Academy's basic elementary-division curriculum, I could call this 'excellent'."
"But since you've already started undergoing 'training'… then all I can say is: very bad."
Kuroha's evaluation was brutally straightforward.
Hearing this, the little cyber-horse in front of him still didn't show much expression, but her eyes clearly dimmed.
"…Understood."
"Professional guidance from Kuroha received, [input stored in database]."
At the side, Rice Shower looked at her friend worriedly. "...Bourbon…"
Seeing the two little girls' mood sink, Kuroha smiled, stepped forward, and placed a hand on each of their heads.
"Mm… The two of you aren't exactly 'exceptional,' but your perseverance and effort are solid, and you both have a clear understanding of yourselves."
Kuroha pretended to think it over for a moment. "If I leave you to fumble around on your own, I won't be at ease."
"How about this: I'll be at the Academy these next few days anyway. If you have time, come find me directly."
"I'll help you rebuild your training framework and firm up your basics a little."
"…"
Upon hearing this, Mihono Bourbon slowly lifted her head, staring blankly at Kuroha for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"[This is my desire not to tolerate my own performance any longer.]"
"By common logic, such results should not earn your guidance."
Faced with the earnest look on the little girl's face, Kuroha thought for a moment, then answered with a smile.
"It's not 'guidance.' Call it… advice."
"You can think of it as, mm… an entry test."
"I just gave you both a chance to show what you can do. Since there were problems with your performance, as a Central Tracen Academy trainer, it is only [natural] that I point them out."
"But I don't have time right now. Tomorrow, I'll explain the details to you."
Mihono Bourbon's expression went blank for a moment. She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly bowed deeply to Kuroha.
"Confirming status change to [Gratitude]. Thank you for your assistance!"
"…"
Kuroha's expression stiffened. For once, he was at a loss for words.
How had such a cute little horse girl turned into this robot-like personality?
He pulled out his phone to check the time, then looked thoughtfully at the two horse girls in front of him.
"Have you eaten?"
The two of them froze for a moment, then answered, "We have."
"Then come have a meal at my place anyway, and I'll walk you home after."
"Command accepted. Understood, Trainer Kuroha!" Mihono Bourbon agreed almost without thinking.
Only the little blue-rose girl at her side was full of confusion.
"Eeh? I… I'm going too?"
She vaguely remembered that she'd just come along to keep Bourbon company.
How did it turn into running, then dinner, and now she was somehow joining the team as well?
The small horse girl blinked her clear, bright eyes, utterly puzzled.
"Still… this big brother really does seem to be helping Bourbon…"
After a brief hesitation, Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower followed behind Kuroha and headed toward his trainer's dorm.
(End of Chapter)
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